The Historian of Shivaji at the end of a careful study of all the records about him in eight different languages, is bound to admit that Shivaji was not only the maker of the Maratha nation, but also the greatest constructive genius of medieval India. States fall, empires break up, dynasties become extinct, but the memory of a true hero as King like Shivaji remains an imperishable historical legacy for the entire human race. – The pillar of people's hope. The center of a world's desire, to animate the heart, to kindle the imagination, and to inspire the brain of succeeding ages to the highest endeavors.

Sir Jadunath Sarkar, House of Shivaji: Studies and Documents on Maratha History, Royal Period, 1955, p. 115